Carton for fruit or the like



Feb. 11, 1958 R. s. HARTLEY ,9

cm'rou FOR FRUIT on THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 14, 1955 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEV5.

RALPH 5. l/qm-Lsv.

Feb. 11, 1958 R. s. HARTLEY 2,82

CARTON FOR FRUIT OR THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 14, 1955 RALPH 5. HARTLEY V $766 g-1AM ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 11, 1958 R. S. HARTLEY CARTON FOR FRUIT OR THE LIKE Filed NOV. 14, 1955 3 SheetsSheet 3 INVENTOR.

RALPH '5. HARTLE v.

ATTOIZNE VS after the carton has been filled.

United States Patent CARTON FOR FRUIT OR THE LIKE Ralph S. Hartley, Concord, Califi, assignor to Fibreboard Paper Products Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application November 14, 1955, Serial No. 546,371

4 Claims. (Cl. 229-23) .the body portion to seal in the contents with which the container has been filled.

Small cartons for packing fruit and the like into conveniently sized packages of uniform filled weight for direct retailing have long been in use and have made use of the concept of bulged sides or tops to accommodate variations in the size and shape of the fruit to attain such uniform filled weight. However, problems have existed in economically constructing such cartons in a form sufiiciently strong to withstand the rigors of normal transport and handling as is required between the packing and ultimate consumption of the product and enabling them to be conveniently stacked for shipping and retail display.

In summary, this invention provides a two piece carton of the class described in which a body portion is formed from a single blank of foldable paperboard divided into panel sections, said panel sections including a top portion and a downwardly extending body portion formed from pairs of opposite side panels with at least one pair of said opposite side panels pivotally or hingedly connected to the top portion along inwardly bowed arcuate hinge lines which, when said side panels are folded to set up the body portion, force the top portion to assume an upward arch and, at the same time, force an inward arch or concavity in such side panels. This contributes materially to the strength of the carton, particularly to its resistance to crumpling under compressive forces such as are encountered in stacking. Also, the upwardly arched top provides increased height thereby providing additional head space to accommodate varying sizes and shapes of fruit packed into the carton to yield a uniform filled weight.

A bottom forming portion is adapted to fit into the open or bottom end of the body portion for closing it This bottom is so formed that its dimensions are substantially the same as those of the open mouth of the carton. Advantageously, the carton dimensions are such that the top of the carton is of slightly greater area than its open mouth so that an inward taper is provided from top to bottom to facilitate stacking as hereinafter described.

The following description is for purposes of illustration only and is not to be taken as limiting this invention the scope of which is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them.

Fig. l is a plan view of a preferred blank from which the body portion of the carton of this invention is formed;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a blank from which the bottom or closing member is formed;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the body portion formed from the blank of Fig. 1, in the collapsed state;

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Fig. 4 is an isometric view of thecartOn in set up form with one of the window flaps removed for illustration;

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional view taken in the plane of line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section of the collapsed carton taken in the plane of line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the set up carton; a portion being cut away to show details of construction;

Fig. 8 is an elevational view, looking in the direction of arrow 8 in Fig. 7, showing one of the concave sides and the inward taper of the carton from the top to bottom, and the crown of the top;

Fig. 9 is another elevational view looking in the direction of arrow 9 in Fig. 7, showing one of the straight panels as well as the inward taper of the carton from top to bottom at the corners, and the crown of the top;

Fig. 10 is an elevational view of a plurality of the cartons showing the manner of stacking and indicating in phantom lines the position of an arched carton top with respect to the recessed bottom portion of a superjacent carton.

In the drawings, score lines are indicated by broken lines, cuts by solid lines and tearable lines by dotted lines.

In Fig. 1, the blank generally designated 10, is formed from a single piece of foldable material, such as paperboard, and is divided bypairs of opposite score lines 11 and 12 into a top portion 13 and opposite pairs of hingedly connected body forming side panels 14 and 15. One pair of the opposite score lines 12 are arcuate lines bowing inwardly toward each other and serve purposes: hereinafter described, while the other pair of opposite score lines 11 are desirably of conventional straight line type.

Each of the first pair of body forming panels 15, hingedly connected to the top 13 by the arcuate score lines. 12, includes inwardly foldable end portions 16 defined by a score line 17 running obliquely from the bottom or outer edge 15' of said panel 15 to a point adjacent the nearest end of the arcuate score line 12 by which the panel is attached to the top.

Each of the other pair of oppositeside panels 15 has substantially triangular tab portions 18 hingedly secured to both its ends along score lines 19. Removable panels 20 are defined by the combination cut'score and tearable lines 21. Underlying these panelsare window sections 20 of transparent material which may be uncovered for display as indicated in Fig. 4. The transparent windows 20 are formed in the usual manner by securing suitable material to the underside of the top 13 as indicated in Fig. 6 and extend under and beyond the removable portion 20.

Fig. 2 illustrates a bottom panel generally designated 22 formed from a single blank of foldable paperboard and comprises a main portion 23 with two pair of opposite side flanges 24 and 25 hingedly connected thereto by score lines 26 and 27, respectively.

Fig. 3 shows the carton formed from the blank of Fig. 1 in a collapsed state. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the blank is such that the carton may be formed by first folding the pair of opposite side panels 14 with their triangular tab portions 18 inwardly over the central top forming portion 13, then folding inwardly foldable end portions 16 of the other pair of opposite side panels 15 inwardly onto the triangular sections 18 of the first pair of opposite side panels and gluing or otherwise attaching the sections 16 and 18 to each other in face to face relationship; the glue areas being shown in stipling. The carton may then be readily set up or uncollapsed by merely exerting pressure at points X as indicated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 shows the carton of Fig. 3 in the set up or uncollapsed form and illustrates the concave section on the side panel as formed by the arcuate score line 12 by which the panel is connected to the top portion 13. In this connection, it will be noted that the oblique scores 17 are not only useful for collapsing the carton, but also enhance formation of the concavity in the side panels 15 when the carton is set up. The figure also illustrates how the display window 20' may be uncovered by tearing out the removable panels 20.

As shown in Fig. 5, the body portion tapers outwardly from top to bottom at the center of the carton where the concavity is greatest. The concave configuration of the side panel 15 is enhanced by the inward taper of the carton from top to bottom at the corners, as is shown in Fig. 9. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that this top to bottom taper is provided in a known manner by a slight angling of the score or hinge lines 19 by which the triangular tab portions 18 are attached to their side panels 14.

Fig. 8 shows the inward taper from top to bottom of the sides formed by the opposite side panels 14 that are hingedly connected to the top portion along the straight score lines 11. The taper is formed in a usual manner by suitable orientation of scores 17, the inner edges 18 of the triangular tabs 18 being sufliciently cut back to avoid binding on scores 17 when tab 16 is folded over for attachment to triangular tab portions 18.

In use, the carton is assembled as previously described, then inverted so that its open mouth faces upwardly and filled with a prescribed quantity of fruit or other material. The bottom portion 23 is shaped by bending its side members 24 and 25 upwardly to form flanges, then inserted into the open mouth of the carton and secured in place by any suitable means, such as staples 30, with the flanges in face to face relationship with the inner surfaces of the side panels. In this connection, it should be noted that the dimensions between the score lines 26 and, 27, defining the bottom 23 are substantially equal tothe corresponding dimensions between theedges 14' and 15 of the side panels 14 and 15 when the carton is set up. This will insure a snug, strong fit and at the same time .avoid undesirable compressing or jamming of the fruit as might occur if the bottom was smaller than the open mouth and closing was eifected by pulling in the side panels. Thus, in the embodiment, the dimensions at thebottom of the carton are smaller than corresponding dimensions at the top of the carton and this difference in dimension is solely a function of the taper of the carton from top to bottom.

As shown in Fig. 10, the nature of the bottom 23 provides for a recessed portion 28 in the bottom of the closed carton and this recessed portion aids materially in stacking of the cartons. As shown, the center part 13 of the upwardly arched top portion 13 of a subjacent carton is accepted or covered by the recessed'portion 23 at the bottom of a superjacent carton while the bottom edges 15' of the concave side panels 15 overlap an upper portion of the subjacent carton, and the bottom edges 14 of the upper carton rest on the top of the lower carton near its edges where it is strongest. This construction permits the carton to carry the load of superjacent cartons, removing the load from the contents to decrease possibility of bruising or other damage. 7

Ventilation is provided by cutting away the corners of the bottom 23 along diagonal lines 29 as indicated in Fig. 2 and also by ventilating holes 31 in at least one pair of the side panels of the container. Also, the concave and tapered sides form spaces between cartons for air passage to improve and hastencooling of the contents for shipment and storage. i

I claim: I g V l. A carton blank co'mprising a foldable sheet of pa perboard, two pairs of opposite score lines defining a top forming portion in said sheet, each line of one of said opposite pairs of lines being inwardly bowed toward the other of said pair; two pairs of opposite body forming side panels hingedly secured to said top form- 4 ing portion along said score lines; each panel of a first pair of said side panels including inwardly foldable end portions each defined by a score line running obliquely from an outer edge of said panel to a point adjacent the nearest end of said score line by which said panel is hingedly secured to said top forming portion; a second pair of said opposite panels each having a tab portion hingedly secured to each of its ends, each of said tab portions being such that upon one of said second pair of side panels being folded inwardly over said top forming portion an adjacent inwardly foldable portion of one of'said first panels is 'overlappingly foldable upon said tab portion. 7 I

2. A carton body adapted to be set up from a collapsed state and comprising in said collapsed state a single blank sheet of paperboard having two pairs of opposite score lines defining a top forming portion of said carton body, each line of a pair of said opposite pairs of lines being inwardly bowed toward the other line of such pair; two pairs of opposite body forming side panels hingedly connected to said top forming portion along saidscore lines; each panel of a first pair of said side panels including inwardly folded end portions each defined by a score line running obliquely from an outer edge of such panel to a point adjacent the nearest end of the score line bywhich such panel is hingedly connected to said topforming portion; each panel of the second pair of side panels being inwardly folded over said top forming portionand having a tab portion hingedly connected to eachof its ends, and each of said tab portions being secured in overlapping relationship to an adjacent inwardly folded end portion of said first pair of side panels, whereby the carton body can be set up by pressing inwardly such. first pair of side panels, and said inwardly bowed score lines form on such set up carton body an upward arch on said top portion and an inward arch on the side panels connected to the top portion byv said bowed score lines.

3. A carton body adapted to be set up from a collapsed state and comprising in said collapsed state a single blank sheet of paperboard having two pairs of opposite score lines defining a top forming portion of said carton body, each line of a pair of said opposite pairs of lines being inwardly bowed toward the other line of such pair; two pairs of opposite body forming side panels hingedly secured to said top forming portion along said score lines; each panel of a first pair of said side panels including inwardly folded end portions each defined by a score line running obliquely from an outer edge of such panel to a point adjacent the nearest end of the score line by which such panel is hingedly connected to said top forming portion; each panel of the second pair of side panels being inwardly folded over said top forming portion and having a talb portion hingedly connected to each of its ends along a score line extending obliquely inwardly from adjacent the junction of such tab portion with such panel, and each of said tab portions being secured in overlapping relationship to an adjacent inwardly folded end portion of said first pair of side panels, whereby the carton body can be set up by pressing inwardly such first pair of side panels, and said inwardly bowed score lines form on such set up carton body an upward arch on said top portion and an inward arch on the side panels connected to the top portion by said bowed score lines and said obliquely extending score lines form an inward and downward taper on said carton body.

4. A carton comprising a main body portion consisting essentially of a single paperboard sheet having two pairs of opposite score lines. defining a top portion, two pairs of opposite side panels hingedly connected to said top portion along said score lines, each panel of a pair of said side panels having an inturned tab portion hingedly Connected to each end of such panel, each of said tab portions being secured in overlapping relationship to an end portion on an adjacent panel of the other pair of opposite side panels, each of such end portions being defined by a score line running obliquely from an outer edge of such panel to a point adjacent the nearest end of the score line by which such panel is hingedly connected to said top portion, each line of a pair of said opposite pairs of score lines defining said top portion being bowed inwardly toward the other line of said pair thereby forming said top portion with an upward arch and the side panels connected to the top portion by said bowed score lines with an inward arch, the hinge connection of each of said tab portions being along a score line extending obliquely inwardly from the junction of such tab portion with the side panel to which it is connected to provide said body portion with an inward and downward taper forming an open bottom mouth having substantially smaller dimensions than said top portion; and a bottom portion having dimensions substantially equal to those of said open mouth and closing said carton body portion, said bottom portion being recessed within said open mouth to form a recess for receiving the arched top of a similar carton upon stacking.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

